Landlocked Blues
by somerled ryoo
Summary: This is meant to be a series of stand-alone vignettes, each Padme-Anakin and each related to the lyrics of a different song. First song is Landlocked Blues, an Anakin/Padme CW & RotS AU.


Thought I'd try something a little different. This is meant to be a series of stand-alone vignettes, each Padme-Anakin and each related to the lyrics of a different song. Please let me know what you think, and comment with a song you'd like me to connect to the A/P pairing next (commenting is open to guests). Thank you, and as always, enjoy.

* * *

 _ **Land Locked Blues by Bright Eyes**_

 _If you walk away I walk away  
First tell me which road you will take  
I don't want to risk our paths crossing someday  
So you walk that way I'll walk this way_

"If you are suffering as much as I am, please tell me," he pleaded. From the moment they kissed on the balcony, he knew his feelings for her would not resign; he needed to be with her like he needed to breathe. Never had the "no attachments" rule of the Jedi caused him such pain as it did now. He needed to be with her more than anything he'd ever wanted. More than life itself.

So after their dinner, while seated alone together near the fire, Anakin admitted his soul to her, and implored her to share hers. He needed to know if there was hope, if his feelings had a chance to be returned. If there was any chance in the universe that he could be with Padme, he would take it.

"We can't Anakin. It's just not possible. Regardless of the way we feel for each other."

A spark of hope lit in his heart. "Then you do feel something!"

She firmly articulated, "I will not let you give up your future for me."

He could feel his heart palpitating boldly in his chest as he stood from the chair. His body language was intense in emotion as he approached her, "You are asking me to be rational. That is something I know I cannot do. Believe me, I wish I could just wish away my feelings, but I can't."

She held strong in her decision, looked into his eyes, and imparted, "I will not give into this."

Her gaze was too much for him, and he turned away. A thought he had earlier reappeared in his head, one last-chance plea to change her mind. "Well you know… It wouldn't have to be that way," he spoke, sheepishly. "We could keep it a secret."

He turned back to see her expression, with his spirit in desperate hope she would change her mind. But she shook her head unwaveringly, only briefly considering his proposition. "We'd be living a lie. One we couldn't keep even if we wanted to. I couldn't do that. Could you, Anakin? Could you live like that?"

His heart gave. "No, you're right," he murmured, looking down. A deep sense of melancholy settled in his chest. "It would destroy us."

How badly had he longed for her to return his affections, so that he might kiss her, hold her close against his chest, like he longed to when they kissed on the balcony overlooking the lake. Instead, devastated in utter dejection, he turned to leave the room.

While walking away, he made a decision. If nothing would come of the hope for their relationship after this mission, he knew he would have to avoid working with Padme ever again. To see her come and go out of his life would be too painful for him to bare.

 _And the future hangs over our heads  
And it moves with each current event  
Until it falls all around like a cold steady rain  
Just stay in when it's lookin' this way_

" _I truly, deeply, love you. Before we die I want you to know."_

It was nearly a year after Padme confessed her love for him before the battle on Geonosis. Anakin's stomach still felt aflutter when he thought of that moment, that first committed kiss they shared on the chariot before entering the arena where they were meant to be sent to their deaths. She loved him, and that was all that mattered to him in the universe.

Now Anakin and Obi-Wan were back on Coruscant for a brief placement before returning to the warfront action. He had a few hours to himself today, so he prepared to leave the temple to see her at her apartment where she waited for him.

However, the Jedi Council had other ideas for how Anakin should be spending his time. Just as he entered the hallway adjacent to the speeder deck, Master Windu stopped him and informed him that his presence was needed in the Council room.

Anakin managed to stop himself from looking overtly disappointed as he followed Mace back within the temple.

-break-

It didn't end up mattering though, because Padme, too, was called to an emergency senate meeting for the day. She sighed as she left her office to walk towards the auditorium, but not before gazing longingly out the window where the rain had started coming down in sheets…

From their distance across the city, each lover briefly wondered how the other felt knowing they had put duty first today, just like they had so many other times before and like they would so many more times in the future.

 _And the moon's laying low in the sky  
Forcing everything metal to shine  
And the sidewalk holds diamonds like a jewelry store case  
They argue "Walk this way," "No, walk this way"_

Later that day, after Anakin had spent his time in multiple Jedi information sessions, twilight fell on Coruscant. He checked the messages left on his comlink; she left one, addressed to her "friend Knight Skywalker," stating that she would appreciate his company in the evening after she had been called to the senate for the day.

So he sped through traffic, and arrived next to her skiff on the landing bay of the senate buildings. Captain Typho was there, waiting to pick Senator Amidala up to bring her back to 500 Republica for the night. Upon recognizing each other, Anakin and the captain greeted each other, and spoke small talk about the latest wartime news while waiting.

Several minutes later, Padme walked out the building doors onto the landing deck, and she tried to contain the smile that broke out over her face. "Knight Skywalker, a pleasure to see you again."

"The pleasure is mine, milady," he spoke formally, nodding his head towards her.

The senator turned to the other man, "Captain Typho, sorry I did not message you sooner. Please return with my ship back to 500 Republica and have the evening off. Knight Skywalker will escort me home today."

Formally, he responded with a nod of his head, "As you wish, milady." He disappeared onto the ship to take off.

After watching Captain Typho leave, Anakin turned to his wife. She motioned for him to follow her. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"For a walk," she said, and she led him away from the landing bay, down and down, until they were on the streets, the lower levels of Coruscant. The sky above them was dark and gloomy, and it began to rain.

Once they rounded the corner of an alleyway far enough away from the senate, Padme stopped and pulled a cloak out of her handbag. She dawned it with the hood pulled up over her head, blocking her face from the shining street lights and signs. She turned to look up at Anakin and said, "I thought maybe we could pretend today. Just to be ordinary. To be a couple, and walk around the streets of Coruscant."

Anakin lit up. He loved the idea, and kissed her in enthusiasm. "That sounds perfect," he said with a smile, then he lifted his own hood up over his head to protect his identity. They continued further around the bend, and her heart was aflutter as he reached to hold her hand in public for the first time.

 _And Laura's asleep in my bed  
As I'm leaving she wakes up and says  
"I dreamed you were carried away on the crest of a wave  
Baby, don't go away, come here"_

Padme rolled over in her sleep, hazily moving her small frame closer to him.

He grasped his arms around her, holding her in tight to his chest. She looked at such peace when she slept, her breathing steady. This was the version of the senator for only him to see, his angel sleeping and at peace.

Anakin marveled at how she always seemed to have such an easy time sleeping. It was foreign to him, as he could rest for hours and hours without ever really falling asleep. Especially nights like tonight, when it was his final night stay with her before he had to leave off-planet.

He looked to the chrono on the night stand. Only half an hour left before he had to report to the temple to take off...

Anakin's eyes drifted to the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The light and shadows from the glimmering Coruscanti skyline fell through the blinds of the windows and playfully danced on the dark curls that pooled around her head.

He closed his eyes to focus on the sensation of her: the soft weight of her body in his arms, her sweet floral scent, the gentle fluctuation of her chest as she breathed…

A fear sparked in his mind. Her breathing reminds him that she is human, fragile – alive, but perishable. He holds her tighter, clinging onto his wife, and prays to the Force that nothing bad will ever come to her. He would sooner die than lose her.

His mind drifts again, almost into sleep.

But moments later, he senses a change in her respiration. Her breaths deepen and become irregular. He opens his eyes and gazes upon her face, where he can see her irises flutter around under her eyelids. He moves his flesh hand to her cheek and caresses her soft skin.

He recognizes that it is almost time for him to leave, and he needs to capture these moments in his memory to reflect on in the lonely months to come. Then, as he's touching her face, her eyes open. Her mind and body have awoken from a horrible dream. After the shock of waking, she reaches her arms around him, holding him tight, and she kisses him in desperation.

He feels the wet of tears falling onto his face, and sympathises in understanding that she is upset because he will be leaving soon. He tries to sooth her, running his hands over her head and down her back. "Padme, Padme. It's okay."

She shakes her head, lowering her dampened eyelids. "I had a dream your ship was swallowed by one of those black holes. The ones they say can consume an entire galaxy. I couldn't breathe thinking you were gone. Please, Anakin, don't go." She pressed herself closer to him, grabbing onto him for dear life.

He would have laughed at the idea if he wasn't so heartbroken at seeing her like this, especially while knowing that he did have to leave, and so soon. He kissed her mournfully, passionately, a kiss to keep her safe, a kiss to make the darkness go away. "I love you Padme."

She nodded into his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his back, holding onto him. "I love you, too," she whispered, and they stayed entangled like that for a short moment of infinity.

Anakin's comlink beeped, rousing them both from the moment. He turned the alarm off and smiled sadly down at her, still holding her desperately close, like they were both about to be consumed by an all-encompassing black hole together. "I have to go," he said.

She nodded, kissed him, removed her arms from around his body, and then let him stand up from the bed. She sat up and watched as he got dressed.

Anakin noiselessly put on his Jedi robes. By the time he finished clothing himself in the dark, he looked to her and noticed the tears glistening on her face. His heart melted, and he went to kiss her again. "I'm sorry," he murmured, enveloping her in his arms one last time.

"Me too," she sniffled. She kissed him, then decided to put on a strong face. She wiped her eyes, nodded lightly, and said, "You have to go."

He nodded in agreement, and she escorted him out of her room to the balcony where his speeder awaited for his departure.

 _And there's kids playing guns in the street  
And one's pointing his tree branch at me  
So I put my hands up I say  
"Enough is enough, if you walk away I walk away"  
(And he shot me dead)_

It was a hot day to be dressed in the robes of a Jedi on Zygerria.

Anakin walked through the local marketplace and came upon a couple Togrutan children playing together, carrying toy weapons and pretending to be battle droids versus clones. Anakin approached them to watch the play, as the group fondly reminded him of his childhood friends on Tatooine.

The children continued playing, but one youngling noticed him, who looked on in surprise and delight to see the Jedi watching them from the side of the street. This child was obviously dressed in a make-shift droid costume, with pieces of destroyed battle droids tied around his arms and legs, and the shell of a battle droid strapped on his head like a helmet. The child looked up at Anakin, and boldly directed his wooden "blaster" up at him. "Halt, Jedi!" he commanded.

Anakin's eyes widened, and he threw his arms up in mock scare. He jokingly begged, "Let me go free, and I will be no trouble!"

The Togrutan youngling narrowed his eyes, aimed his blaster at Anakin's chest, and mimicked the sound, "Pew, pew!"

Anakin feigned his death, falling over, and laughing.

 _I found a liquid cure  
For my landlocked blues  
It will pass away like a slow parade  
It's leaving but I don't know how soon_

It was a long day, rather, a long week, spent in the senate. Padme bid her handmaid Teckla to join her in the kitchen that evening, where she removed a bottle of Nabooian wine from the back of the cupboard.

"Senator, I didn't know you drank," spoke Teckla in surprise.

Padme laughed, "Not often, but I think after the week we've had, we deserve it." She opened the vintage and poured two glasses. "And Teckla, please just call me Padme when we're not working. Right now we're just two friends, having a drink."

"Sorry Padme, I know. Just habit," she said, shaking her head. Padme smiled in understanding, and handed Teckla a drink.

Padme took a sip, then leaned back against the counter. "How's your family doing, Teckla? Do you get to speak with them frequently?" Padme kindly inquired.

Her handmaiden responded, "Yes, I try to communicate with them every night. My boys are doing well in school, and my sister's family seems to be managing well with all that is happening on Naboo. It sounds like they're getting by."

Padme contemplated, "It must be hard for you to be separated from your children."

Teckla nodded, "I miss them. But they're a little older now, so it's easier on them. And they know my work is important to the government of Naboo." She paused, her eyes downcast to the wineglass in her hands, and voiced, "It still feels awful every time I leave them though."

"I can imagine," responded a wistful Padme, whose mind was deep in reflection on her own relations and departures.

A comfortable silence fell over the two friends.

Teckla broke the reverie, "This is a very good wine. Reminds me of evenings on the lake in Varykino."

"Yes it is, reminds me of the same," Padme replied wistfully. She took a long sip of her wine, almost as if she could drown out the thought of him.

 _And the world's got me dizzy again  
You'd think after twenty-two years I'd be used to the spin  
And it only feels worse when I stay in one place  
So I'm always pacing around or walking away_

The government of the planet of Mandalore had decided to remain neutral in the war. It was a leveled decision, but this was problematic for the planet's economy and population, as trade agreements with other planets who had chosen sides in the war began to fall through.

While the Jedi visited Mandalore, they hoped to respectfully persuade the government into choosing to side with the Galactic Republic. However, they were not successful, and Obi-Wan and Anakin were set to return to Coruscant.

However, there was a slight problem with the plan... Mandalore was intensely low on fuel due to their trade agreement issues and fuel rations were scarce in their distribution around the planet. This resulted in additional hours of wait for paperwork to go through so that the Jedi's ship could obtain enough fuel to get off planet to another fuel source. An unforeseen obstacle to the trip back home…

So Anakin couldn't sit still. He wanted to be back on Coruscant four hours ago. Well, he really would have been back a week ago, or not have left at all.

His thoughts were so focused on Padme, his desire to be with her again so strong he was afraid Obi-Wan might see their attachment just by checking in with the Force.

 _I keep drinking the ink from my pen  
And I'm balancing history books up on my head  
But it all boils down to one quotable phrase  
If you love something give it away_

Padme sat at her desk in her senatorial office reviewing the latest draft of a bill. This bill she hoped to prevent being passed, as it would align government funding to more weapons of war and additional clone troopers. Senator Amidala and her like-minded colleagues wanted the funding spent on peace-keeping and relief measures for the victims of the war.

Next to her opened datapads sprawled out on her desk, she reviewed an old datafile explaining similar wartime spending throughout the history of the Galactic Republic, or rather, _peacekeeping_ spending through the history of the Galactic Republic. She hoped to find reference to positive outcomes linked to peacekeeping measures in the hopes of better supporting her position to refute the bill.

Deep in the flow of her research, she came upon an article about the use of the Jedi in planetary wartime hundreds of years ago. A footnote in the work caught her eye: _"…followers of the Jedi Code commit to lives without attachments to people, places, or things, which they believe will help them resist fear, anger, and the dark side of the Force."_

Padme stopped in shock after reading the sentence. She knew about the practices and mantra of the Jedi Code, but never had she considered the root implications of the Jedi's "no attachments" rule.

She reread the sentence. He had once said to her, _"so you may say we are encouraged to love…"_ but in the pit of her stomach, she was afraid of what their relationship could mean for Anakin's future. She feared it was selfish of her to commit to their relationship when it could possibly tempt him to fear and anger…

But she reconsidered the meaning behind the words. Was it possible for someone to have a relationship without fear of losing that person?

More questions arose in her mind. Was it better to love Anakin? Or should she let him go for the well-being of himself, of the galaxy? It felt unfairly like an either-or situation.

Perhaps she needed to let him go for his own betterment.

 _A good woman will pick you apart  
A box full of suggestions for your possible heart  
But you may be offended and you may be afraid  
But don't walk away, don't walk away_

She ends up seeing him that night, and she voices her concerns about what she has read.

"Anakin, I know this is an odd topic, but if I was in danger or I died, or something bad happened, what would you do?"

A dark look came over his face. "What are you talking about?" he asked, almost accusingly.

She wanted to keep this light. "Just in theory, Anakin. I'm not in any danger. I just… I wouldn't want you to be… overly distraught. If something happened to me or someone hurt me," she tried to reason. "You can be upset, but eventually you'd have to move on."

Anakin shook his head, "How can you say that Padme? If someone hurt you…" his face pinched tight in anger and disgust. "I couldn't continue. I would have to do right by you, avenge whoever hurt you. I'd die for you."

Padme touched his arm, but he pulled it away. "Anakin. You couldn't live like that. I wouldn't want you to." She paused to select her next words more carefully. "It would make me happy to know you'd eventually move on and accept I was… 'One with the Force.' Wouldn't you want me to move on if something happened to you?"

Anakin stood up and began to pace in agitation. "Why are you talking about this? Nothing is going to happen to us."

Padme felt guilty about striking this chord with him, but she felt this was something she had to talk about after reading that sentence earlier in the day. "I'm sorry Ani." She followed and moved closer to him, grasping his flesh hand to calm him and hold him in one spot. She looked up into his eyes as she said, "I just… read something about the Jedi today. About how attachments can lead to fear, or anger, and the Dark side. I thought about it, and I couldn't… I wouldn't want you to fear for me, or be angry if something happened to me. You have to promise me you'd let go of those feelings if I died."

Anakin dropped her hand and huffed, "You mean like how I let my anger control me when my mother died?"

A cold wave ran through her body. His words felt like a slap in the face. She suddenly felt as if she'd been inflicting emotional pain to him by bringing this up. "That's not what I meant." she whispered suddenly, apologetically.

"But it's exactly what you're implying." He turned away and muttered, "I need to get out of here for a while." He left the room to the landing deck at her apartment's balcony, taking his speeder to get away.

Padme was left in her apartment feeling incredibly guilty.

-break-

About two hours later, Anakin returned. He had spent nearly the whole time flying about the Coruscanti evening traffic while thinking about what she said. It was hard for him to admit, but he finally understood what she meant. Although he was frustrated, he realized he'd never want her to seek revenge over his death, and he needed to uphold the values of the Jedi even if he lost her love…

His last stop before her apartment was at a rare florist dealer he noticed downtown. He took the few credits he had possession of and bought a bouquet of Nabooian millaflowers as an apology.

Anakin docked back at her apartment balcony, and found his wife in the living room, lost in the text of a datapad. He cleared his throat to let her know he had entered the room.

"Anakin…" she began, setting her datapad down.

He gave a sheepish smile. "Padme… these are for you," he said, gesturing to the flowers.

"Thank you," she said quietly. She took the bouquet to the kitchen, removed the paper wrapping, and started to trim the stems to set them in a vase. Anakin followed and watched her intently as she removed the ends. "I'm sorry," he began.

She turned to look at him, her eyes imploring him to continue.

So he took a deep breath, eyes downcast, and spoke calmly, "I… I wouldn't want you to live in pain after I died, either. And it wouldn't be the Jedi way if I sought revenge for your death." He paused, and chose to be vulnerably honest in his next words, "It only brought me more pain, when I killed the Tusken Raiders who killed my mother… I would grieve if I lost you, but I wouldn't want to lose myself in that loss."

Padme set the flowers down and gave him a hug. "That's exactly what I meant earlier, Anakin. I'm sorry talking about it gave you memories of that pain all over again. I love you."

He hugged her back. "I love you, too," he said.

As they embraced, she took in the scent of the flowers in the room, and wondered if he knew that millaflowers help to calm moods…

 _We made love on the living room floor  
With the noise in the background from a televised war  
And in the deafening pleasure I thought I heard someone say  
If we walk away, they'll walk away_

The lovers were content together at her apartment on Coruscant. After reuniting earlier that afternoon, they shared a quiet evening together. The two ate dinner in the kitchen, then moved to the living room to watch the holonet for the evening.

Anakin, however, had other ideas than to catch up on the latest news. He turned his body towards Padme on the couch and leaned over her to kiss her deeply. His hands began to roam.

Padme gave into the kiss, then stopped. "One second," she whispered. She looked around the room, checking that the windows were blinded and that '3P0 was away. She returned her lips to his, a slow heat building between the two of them. Her hands moved to his belt.

He held her close against him, and lightly rolled her off the couch onto the carpeted floor with him above her small frame.

Continuing to make out, Anakin lifted the material of her dress and parted his way between her…

The holonet broadcast news of explosions on distant planets, wars between worlds, and displaced refugees. An alien being of a faraway planet was interviewed and spoke of the need for peace, "…the Galactic Republic and Separatists to come to an agreement before more lives are lost…"

But the two on the floor did not hear, they themselves lost in each other.

 _But greed is a bottomless pit  
And our freedom's a joke we're just taking a piss  
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display  
If you're still free start runnin' away  
'Cause we're comin' for ya_

Anakin thought he knew what it was like to be a slave, and he thought he knew what it was like to be free. Over the years he wondered about how his life might have been if he'd never made it off Tatooine. He may have been with his mother, but he thought life as a slave would have been at the worst terrible and at the best unfulfilling.

He always felt quietly and respectfully thankful to Master Qui Gon for finding him. Whether it was the will of the Force or not, Qui Gon chose to bring Anakin to be trained as a Jedi.

However, the past time he spent with Padme, married to her in secret, began to weigh on him. He began to think perhaps this wasn't true freedom, perhaps he moved from being a slave on Tatooine to a slave to the Jedi Order.

Freedom was accessible to him, he supposed, but it meant giving up his life as a member of the Order.

He couldn't have it all.

 _I've grown tired of holding this pose  
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home  
So I'm making a deal with the devils of fame  
Sayin' let me walk away, please_

After making a public statement on the very recent bombing near the senate buildings on Coruscant, Anakin rushed as he drove his speeder back to the Jedi temple. He needed to go do something to clear his head, perhaps use one of the exercise rooms or decapitate a bunch of droids…

He kept his underlying frustration hidden in front of the camera. _She's safe, she's been safe for the past few hours since they caught that Separatist scum…_ The thoughts kept repeating through his head.

Anakin thought he'd only feel relief after hearing her level, senatorial voice broadcast at the holonet station, but all he could feel was anger. It had been months upon months since he'd been on Coruscant, and the only thing that brought him back from the war was the threat of war on Coruscant. The war had threatened his wife, and he hasn't even been able to see her yet.

His mind is in fury as he rushes through traffic. He hates that this political situation has put such a distance between them. He feels like he's being used as a poster spokesperson for the Jedi, he feels like he can't protect her like he should, and he feels like a mere stranger visiting Coruscant. She could have died, and he wouldn't have been able to tell her he loved her once more. He couldn't have done anything.

Every thought flashed angrily through his head, faster than he drove his speeder.

It's that the only time he's ever doubted their choice to fall in love is when her life has been so threatened. If they never fell in love, he wouldn't have to go through this turmoil. He swore he was dead too when he didn't know if she was affected by the bomb.

But he knew he couldn't live without loving her either. Way back when the clone wars started, there was really no choice for him to have made. He had to be with her like he had to breathe. He couldn't not love her.

So as he docked his speeder on the landing bay of the Jedi Temple, he realized for the first time in his life that he would not always be a part of the Jedi Order. Sooner or later, he would resign.

 _You'll be free child once you have died  
From the shackles of language and measurable time  
And then we can trade places, play musical graves  
Till then walk away, walk away, walk away, walk away_

After taking the time to calm himself in an exercise room, he left to see her. The senate was still under control of Coruscanti authorities, so he figured she was likely in her apartment at 500 Republica.

As Anakin flew by, he recognized other senators' skiffs and speeders at Padme's private landing dock on the balcony. He thought it would probably be best to arrive formally if there were visitors at the apartment, so he parked his speeder at the bottom level, and took the lift to her floor.

He rang the access from the hallway to her apartment, and the door opened with C3P0 there to greet him. "Master Ani! What a pleasant surprise on this awful day. Senator Padme will be delighted to see you."

Anakin nodded solemnly, "Thank you, Threepio." As he took off his outer cloak, he looked from the archway into the living room, where a small group of politicians sat around a cafe table speaking in somber tones to one another. Senator Bail Organa noticed his entrance first, nodded to him, and gestured to a figure facing away from him to inform them of the visitor.

Padme glanced over her shoulder, then quickly stood up to go to him. He had just set his cloak aside as she enveloped him in a startling hug. "Anakin!" she whispered, and he reluctantly returned the embrace in front of the small group of senators.

She pulled back as suddenly as she reached for him. "Master Skywalker," she spoke aloud, holding his hand, her eyes glistening with tears, "so glad to see you are safe."

He nodded his head, "You as well, milady."

"Come join us," Padme led him to the living room, and as he found a seat next to where she had been sitting, she left to the kitchen with the cold teapot from the table and muttered something about making more.

Anakin greeted the senators seated around him: Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Fang Zar, Chi Eekway Papanoida, and Bana Breemu. They appeared to be well kept together, but he could see the exhaustion behind their eyes.

Senator Organa spoke first, "Master Skywalker. So good to see you, not for these troubling times."

Anakin nodded at the senator. "Glad to see you are all safe."

Mon Mothma spoke solemnly, "We are so lucky, some were not as fortunate. They haven't released names yet…"

Anakin lowered his eyes. The senators returned to their previous discussion, something about the motive behind the bombing and who might have been affected. Anakin followed along, but found himself tuning out of the conversation, his mind wandering to his wife. A few minutes in, Anakin realized that Padme had been taking a long time to prepare the tea, and he stood up to find her with a brief, "Excuse me," to the group of politicians.

He turned the corner to the kitchen, and his heart broke as he saw Padme trying to wipe her tears away before returning to the living room. "Padme…" he spoke, and she gasped as she saw him.

"Anakin, I can't," she wiped her hands under her eyes, "I can't. I need to tell them to leave," she shook her head.

"Do you want me to…?" he offered, puzzled to see her like this.

In good timing, Teckla emerged from the hallway of the guest bedroom, seemingly after just having had a nap, and stopped in her tracks at the scene before her. "Master Skywalker! Padme… oh goodness. Are the senators still here?" Padme nodded. "I'll ask them to depart."

"Thank you Teckla," Padme whispered.

Anakin and Padme stood still as they listened to Teckla, who walked to the living room and mentioned something about the senator falling ill and needing to rest. They could hear the muffled sound of the group rising and walking out to the landing dock.

Once he knew no one would come to the kitchen, Anakin went to Padme, holding her tight in his arms. "Padme. We're okay. It's alright." She nodded into his a chest.

"Ani, I was so afraid. I wasn't near the explosion, but they announced casualties on the holonet. I've been fretting that somehow I'd lost you too. It's been unbearable…" she let out a sob.

This wasn't like her, he thought to himself. Usually she kept very much together, especially when she had to play the role of senator around other politicians. "Padme, it's alright." He ran his hand in circles around her back, "I'll always come back to you. You know that."

To his surprise, she turned angry, holding herself back from him and looking him in the eyes, her face blotchy and red through her tears. "No Ani. You're not invincible." But then her anger faltered, and she let out a breath to collect herself, still shaken.

Anakin smiled sadly. As much as he didn't like to think it, she was right. "It's alright, I'm sorry. I know. I was so afraid for you too," he began, and took a deep breath before explaining, "I didn't come to see you right away after hearing you speak on the holonet because I was so angry at the thought you could have been killed. I stopped at the temple to calm myself, like you would have wanted, like we talked about if anything happened to each other…"

Padme half-smiled and lightly nodded her head. She reached for him, and pulled him into a kiss and embrace.

Just then, Teckla walked back into the room as she spoke, "Padme… oh!"

Anakin let go of his wife at once, immediately afraid of being caught.

Padme looked in surprise from Anakin to Teckla. "Teckla… Please take the night off."

Teckla nodded, and left to the entrance of the apartment.

Anakin's heart was pulsating as he watched Teckla leave. He turned back to Padme. "Does she know?" was all he could ask.

Padme nodded, her voice more steady now. "It's okay," she said, and she cleared her voice before continuing, "She's been staying in the guest bedroom sometimes recently. She's been so great to me… Teckla was trained as a nurse on Naboo." Padme looked up into his eyes, and he couldn't place the sense of playfulness behind her gaze.

Anakin furrowed his brow in confusion. "Is something wrong? Why would you need a nurse?" Again he felt the fear and creeping sense of anger for the thought that she would be hurt. He grasped her arms, imploring her for an answer.

Oddly, she just smiled up at him. "Something wonderful has happened." He looked deep into her eyes, completely confused at what she could say next. "Ani, I'm pregnant."

Slowly, the quizzical expression left his face, and as he began to comprehend, he beamed in happiness. "That's… that's wonderful."

Padme's eyes watered again, this time in delight. She pulled her love close to her, and kissed him again. Anakin returned the kiss vehemently, and reached his flesh hand down to touch the growing swell of her middle for the first time.

 _So I'm up at dawn, putting on my shoes  
I just want to make a clean escape  
I'm leaving but I don't know where to  
I know I'm leaving but I don't know where to_

Over the next week, reports were released that Chancellor Palpatine, along with four other senators and one custodial clerk, were killed in the bombing at the senate chambers. But surprisingly, investigations into the bombing led to the discovery that Palpatine was actually a Sith Lord and the lead orchestrator behind the Separatist movement. This discovery, over the course of the next month, led to the control of Separatist rule in various planetary systems by the Galactic Republic, and peace was finally called throughout the galaxy as the war came to an end.

The timing couldn't have been better. Once the official calls were made, the Jedi throughout the galaxy were asked to facilitate peacekeeping and governmental reorganization on various planets. Anakin and Obi-Wan were sent from fighting in the Outer Rim back to Coruscant to help publicize statements from the Jedi Council to the Galactic Republic. They were on route to speak at the senate building, where politicians and members of the public alike were celebrating the return of democracy and peace keeping to the galaxy. The building was crowded with celebrators, politicians, Coruscanti authorities, news groups, and a cluster of Jedi Council leaders, among them Masters Yoda and Mace Windu.

When Obi-Wan and Anakin arrived at the senate building, Anakin realized this was it. He could finally leave the Jedi Order. He could be with her, and not worry about the future of the galaxy as it seemed like things were finally working out for themselves. They could have their own future together, and welcome their child into a life and galaxy full of peace.

The Jedi were greeted into a loud, busy senate hall by the Jedi Council members, and soon Obi-Wan and Anakin were set up to speak with a holonet reporter in a secluded corner of the hall. However, something from across the room caught Anakin's eye.

When he saw her standing there among a group of politicians, he let go of everything, all his responsibilities to the Jedi Order, and ran to her. She noticed his approach and smiled brightly back at him as he reached her, pulled her into him, and spun her blissfully around on the spot.

Laughing in their delight, Anakin helped his wife stand again. He pulled back, and lifted a brow as if to question silently, _"Is this ok?"_

She nodded, and pulled him into a kiss, which he enthusiastically returned, for all to see.

The hall was silent as everyone took in the scene of the lovers reunited. Obi-Wan realized he was not alone in feeling his jaw drop, especially when Anakin's hand seemed to run over the middle of Padme's dress, the rounded shape of which hinted that she may be expecting…

As their kiss ended, cheers and applause rang out through the hall, and a blushing Padme and cheeky Anakin turned to the onlookers, smiling despite themselves.

"Want to get out of here?" Anakin coyly spoke into Padme's ear, trying to speak over the chatter of the crowd.

Padme met his eyes and affirmed with a joyous nod, "Yes."

He took her hand, and they walked to the exit towards the landing bay to take off together, no set plans of where they would go, but certain they would leave.

-The End-


End file.
